NFL Player News

Taylor is taking first-team reps at Wednesday's practice, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

Daniel Jones (neck) has been throwing in practice since last week but still hasn't been cleared for contact. He'll return to the starting job once he's cleared, despite Taylor's solid performance as a fill-in starter the past two weeks. Taylor seems to be trending toward a third consecutive start Sunday against the Jets, though Jones still has a few more days to gain clearance and upgrade to full practice participation.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced that Walker will start Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

Walker -- who was signed to the Browns' 53-man roster earlier Wednesday -- will make his second start of the season and should be in store for his third extended outing in a row while Deshaun Watson focuses on rehabbing his injured throwing shoulder. After Watson missed the final three quarters of the Week 7 game against the Colts upon experiencing a setback with the shoulder injury that had kept him out for the previous two games, Walker came on in relief and completed 15 of 32 pass attempts for 178 yards and one interception in the Browns' 39-38 win. The Browns have won both of the games that Walker has appeared in this season, but it's largely been on the strength of the defense and kicking game rather than the quarterback, who has completed just half of his passes for 5.6 yards per attempt while throwing three picks.

Watson is expected to focus on rehabbing his injured throwing shoulder this week after head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Wednesday that PJ Walker will serve as the Browns' starting quarterback Sunday against the Seahawks.

The Browns haven't officially ruled Watson out for the contest, but expect the team to confirm as much by the end of the week. Along with Walker and Watson, the Browns have rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson on hand as another option at quarterback, so he'll presumably serve as Walker's understudy if Watson is in fact ruled out. Assuming Watson responds well to rehab for the right rotator cuff strain that kept him from playing Weeks 4 and 5 and resulted in his early removal in the Browns' Week 7 win over the Colts, he could have a chance to return to the starting lineup Week 9 versus Arizona.

Carolina signed Luton to its practice squad Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

A little over a week after being cut loose by New Orleans, Luton has now found another opportunity with the Saints' division rival. As long as Bryce Young and Andy Dalton remain healthy though, Luton doesn't have a realistic path to playing time.

Watson (shoulder) isn't slated to practice Wednesday, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

As Sunday's game against the Seahawks approaches, Watson's status remains unclear, with the quarterback now having two more chances to practice in some capacity ahead of the contest. After sitting out two straight games with a right rotator cuff strain, Watson returned to action this past Sunday against the Colts but didn't return for the final 48 minutes of the contest while his throwing appeared to be affected by the injury. If Watson is unavailable this weekend, PJ Walker -- who was signed to the Browns' 53-man roster Wednesday -- would be in line to draw the start versus Seattle.

The Browns signed Walker to the 53-man roster Wednesday.

Per Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, the move was expected given that Walker has already been elevated from the practice squad the maximum three times. With Deshaun Watson dealing with a shoulder issue ahead of Sunday's game in Seattle, Walker is a candidate to make his second start of the season after playing the majority of the Browns' Week 7 win over the Colts in relief of Watson.

Head coach Brian Daboll said that Jones (neck) will practice again Wednesday but hasn't been cleared for contact and his workload won't increase, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Jones turned in a trio of limited practice last week before being ruled out ahead of the Giants' win over the Commanders, and by all accounts, his status hasn't yet tangibly changed. Daboll confirmed that Jones will be the Giants' starter when healthy, despite Tyrod Taylor having performed well in two consecutive starts. The longer it takes for Jones to be cleared for contact, however, the more difficult it becomes to envision him playing Sunday versus the Jets. Jones will likely be officially listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's injury report, and he will almost certainly need to practice in full Thursday or Friday to have any chance at playing this weekend.

Tannehill (ankle) won't practice Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Per Wyatt, Tannehill confirmed that he's dealing with a right high-ankle sprain, and even with the benefit of a Week 7 bye to recover, the quarterback may have a tough time gaining clearance for Sunday's game against the Falcons. If Tannehill is unavailable this weekend, head coach Mike Vrabel told Wyatt that both Will Levis and Malik Willis would be in line to see action Week 8. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported earlier Wednesday that the Titans are preparing Levis to start, though Vrabel wouldn't confirm as much and reiterated that both Levis and Willis could see time regardless of whom replaces Tannehill as the starter.

Head coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged Wednesday that both Levis and Malik Willis would play Sunday against the Falcons if Ryan Tannehill (ankle) is unavailable, but Vrabel noted that Levis hasn't yet been confirmed as the team's starting quarterback in such a scenario, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Per Wyatt, Vrabel suggested that if Tannehill doesn't play this weekend, the Titans may opt to alternate series between Levis and Willis. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network previously reported that Tennessee was prepping Levis to be the team's Week 8 starter, but for now the situation still looks to be fluid. Tannehill isn't set to practice Wednesday and appears to be trending toward missing at least one game.

Willis is a candidate to see snaps in Sunday's game against Falcons, though the Titans are preparing Will Levis to start and see the bulk of the playing time at quarterback in the expected absence of Ryan Tannehill (ankle), Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Added clarity on the Titans' plans at quarterback should emerge in the coming days, but if Tannehill is indeed ruled out ahead of the Week 8 contest, Tennessee looks as though it'll give Levis the first opportunity to replace the veteran signal-caller. Willis has been active ahead of Levis as the Titans' No. 2 quarterback for each of the team's first six games and has made two appearances, completing four of five pass attempts for 74 yards while adding 17 yards on three carries and taking four sacks. If the Titans do in fact opt for a timeshare arrangement between Levis and Willis in Week 8, the latter could be deployed as more of a change-of-pace option than a traditional pocket passer due to his rushing ability.